DEFENSE COMMUNITIES 360

Long-Term DOD Budget Would Ignore Sequester Spending Caps

The White House draft of the Pentagon’s fiscal 2015 budget request allows defense spending to exceed the caps included in the 2011 Budget Control Act starting in FY 2016, reports Bloomberg.

The topline spending level for the department in FY 2015 — not including war spending, military construction or Energy Department programs — is about $498 billion as called for under last month’s bipartisan budget deal. That deal reversed $9 billion in FY 2015 sequester cuts.

The guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, according to the story, calls for defense spending from FY 2016-2019 to exceed the 2011 sequester caps, which are:

FY 2016 — $499 billion

FY 2017 — $512 billion

FY 2018 — $524 billion

FY 2019 — $536 billion

DOD’s budget request also is expected to include a list of programs that would be top priorities for receiving additional funds beyond the existing FY 2015 spending cap. Programs listed as part of the “investment fund” would receive extra funds only if they became available.

The White House is scheduled to release next year’s budget request on March 4.